Jim Harbaugh made his choice: Lu Ke. He still chose to trust Lu Ke. Even though the game was incredibly difficult today and Lu Ke's hands were cold, Harbaugh chose to gamble at this critical moment.

Lu Ke and Alex Smith exchanged glances. Alex was slightly stunned, not hiding his disappointment and regret, but he still smiled and raised his right fist to punch Lu Ke on the shoulder. Finally, he gave a heavy fist pump and said, "Don't forget, I'm ready, always ready."

The threatening words made Lu Ke smile brightly and say with determination, "Then stay ready." The subtext was: even if he's always ready, Lu Ke wouldn't give Alex any chances. This was his game, his fight, and no one could replace him.

The strong confidence in his words made Alex also laugh wryly and nod in agreement.

"Guys, you all heard what the coach said. Let's get some touchdowns and show the defense what 'giving it your all' really means." Casually, Lu Ke even made a jab at Willis, which made Willis, who was standing nearby, widen his eyes. Before he could retort, he saw Lu Ke skipping sideways and jogging onto the field.

Then, Willis missed his chance to retort because the entire Candlestick Park went completely crazy!

"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"

The heartbreaking roars reached their peak at this moment, pouring down like a tidal wave, causing the entire Candlestick Park to tremble. You could even feel the slight shaking on the ground under your feet. The powerful sound wave, like a raging storm sweeping through an army, even caused the entire Bay Area's ocean to surge and boil. The desolation and coldness of the biting winter were completely swept away, like a tornado passing through, mercilessly tearing all obstacles to shreds.

At this moment, the soul of Candlestick Park awakened again! No matter the outcome, they would fight to the death! A fight to the death!

In the third quarter, with seven minutes and twenty-six seconds left, the San Francisco 49ers, playing at home, were trailing 0-24. Lu Ke, who was suffering from hypothermia, once again led the offense onto the field, officially sounding the horn of the home team's counterattack!

Standing in the pocket once again, Lu Ke's eyes were calm and steady as he surveyed the defense in front of him. He could feel the biting cold on his skin, stimulating his pores wave after wave. The temperature of his muscles seemed to be dropping little by little, and his body was still not at its best.

But as he focused, these feelings gradually receded like a tide, and he entered a completely new world. They were still the same players, but now they had different combinations and arrangements.

It was obvious that the Steelers' defense was well-organized, like an army, with no confusion at all. They were arranged in layers, and there were still no defensive loopholes. But in Lu Ke's mind, more possibilities were emerging, and his thoughts were becoming clear again. If there were no loopholes, then he would use tactical arrangements to tear one open and deliver a fatal blow!

There was a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense had remained at the top of the league. In this game, they had adjusted their defensive tactics according to the San Francisco 49ers' offensive style and weaknesses.

Three defensive linemen were in the first line, and two outside linebackers often stood on the same line as the defensive linemen, creating the illusion of five players in the front. They were matched one-for-one with the five offensive linemen. However, after the offense started, the tactical arrangements of the three defensive linemen and two outside linebackers were very complex and varied.

The main responsibility of the three defensive linemen was to constantly put pressure on the offensive line. They were not in a hurry to sack the quarterback. They just kept compressing the pocket and left some energy to prevent the 49ers from running the ball. Then, when the offensive line was slightly careless, the two top-tier defensive ends would seize the opportunity to blitz the quarterback, making the offensive line even more flustered.

Compared to the eye-catching stats of sacks and tackles, they paid more attention to the pressure they exerted. From a simple post-game statistics perspective, the numbers for the defense probably wouldn't be very pretty, but during the game, the layered pressure had a significant effect.

Little by little, the Steelers' defense could wear down the 49ers' young offensive line, and the run blocking would be mediocre. To a certain extent, this cut off Marcus Lynch's running routes, forcing the 49ers to choose to pass, thus falling into the trap set by the Steelers.

The two outside linebackers had a very wide range of motion. Both of these players were in their prime. They would intercept runs, blitz the quarterback, and work with the cornerbacks to cover the short passing area. There were no limitations to their defensive positions. They constantly adjusted their positions according to the 49ers' tactics and seized opportunities to work with the defensive linemen to launch surprise quarterback blitzes, creating pressure.

On one hand, they were constantly creating pressure to prevent the quarterback from completing a pass in a stable pocket. On the other hand, they were covering the short passing area, creating more space for the two inside linebackers and two safeties to operate.

For the San Francisco 49ers' offense, the three weaknesses—the weak offensive line, Lu Ke's lack of mobility, and the relatively average running back ability—were further magnified by the Pittsburgh Steelers' targeted defense.

Although these were not fatal problems, the Steelers accumulated pressure little by little, further reducing Lu Ke's passing time and options, and also reducing Lu Ke's tactical options and changes, thus creating more opportunities for their secondary defense.

In the entire defensive system, the three defensive linemen worked with the two inside linebackers to cut off the running game. And when the 49ers chose to pass, the two inside linebackers and two cornerbacks worked together to tightly cover the four receivers. Finally, the two top-tier safeties would use their judgment to fill gaps, move up, blitz, and provide backup coverage, completely covering the short and medium passing areas.

Don't forget that the two outside linebackers also maintained a relatively free position. When necessary, they could cover the short passing area and release the two inside linebackers and two safeties to become a zone defense, covering other potential receivers.

Just as Lu Ke genuinely felt in the first half, layer after layer, and link after link, they formed one "Steel Curtain" after another, completely shutting down all offensive options. The entire feeling of pressure, compared to the Baltimore Ravens, was not as sharp but was heavier.

Of course, this didn't mean that the Pittsburgh Steelers were invincible. The Ravens had a perfect record against the Steelers this season, and they scored over 20 points in both games. In this game, the 49ers still gained yards and first downs because the Steelers' defense was not truly airtight. They chose to stop the bleeding.

They allowed passes to be completed but would immediately make a tackle in a zone defense to end the drive. They allowed runs to be successful, but a series of barriers would ensure that the running back wouldn't be able to break away for a long run. They gave up on sacking the quarterback but always maintained enough pressure to create a feeling of danger. At critical moments, they would only need a small blitz to further disrupt the offensive plan.

Because of this, the San Francisco 49ers were able to get first downs and gain yards, but they were repeatedly unable to advance further at the last minute. Of course, more importantly, Lu Ke's passing in the first half was indeed out of rhythm. His passes were inaccurate even before the opponent's tackles and blitzes, and the offense naturally became disjointed and couldn't keep going.

During halftime, Lu Ke wasn't just sitting on the locker room bench resting and relaxing. So, where was the breakthrough in the Steelers' defensive "Steel Curtain"?

The entire Candlestick Park fell silent again, but it wasn't a deathly silence. All the fans stood up, holding their lips tightly and clenching their teeth, not daring to make a sound, for fear that their noise would disrupt the offense's tactical plan. Then, the restlessness and craze hidden in their blood began to surge.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive players spread out and quickly lined up, forming a simple and unadorned basic offensive formation: a 2x2 formation in the pistol formation.

The only change was that this was a two-tight end formation, and the player who was replaced was not Kyle Williams but Michael Crabtree. On the left side, Vernon Davis stood on the outside, and Ted Ginn stood on the inside. On the right side, Logan Newman stood on the inside, and Kyle Williams stood on the outside.

This tactic was truly confusing. It was exactly the same as the San Francisco 49ers' most basic offensive formation this season, and even the player positions were the same, but Vernon was swapped for Crabtree. However, Crabtree was a big-bodied receiver, and his role was already close to that of a tight end. His size and function also had many overlaps with Vernon's. This could be said to be an unnecessary substitution in the same position, and the advantage of the two-tight end formation didn't seem to be apparent.

Why? What was Jim Harbaugh thinking?

But Lu Ke was completely unfazed. He slowly bent down and got ready to snap the ball. In his sight, the Steelers' defense was still calm and solid. They completely ignored the 49ers' change in formation and were fully focused on their defensive preparation. This was a good thing, an absolutely good thing.

Because of Patrick Willis' interception, he broke the Pittsburgh Steelers' drive in front of the end zone, avoiding the embarrassment of giving up more points. But for the offense, the starting position was a bit awkward. They were on their own 14-yard line, and their offensive space was compressed, making it difficult to spread out.

However, Lu Ke had faced a much worse situation before. No matter how difficult, no matter how dangerous, there would only be one winner in this fight, and the one who laughed last would laugh the sweetest.

🗒️NOTE:

New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.